[KT]

I just picked up a pair of these Sansui SP-300s and couldn't find too much information online.

http://www.sansui.us/SP_3Digits.htm

They remind me a bit of the Klipsch Heresies - dynamic woofer, horn midrange, and horn tweeters. They are beasts - larger than the Heresies and extremely heavy. I believe the magnets are alnico. I have yet to listen to them but have my fingers crossed for good things.

Anyone familiar with them?

Thanks,
KT

[lonewolfny42]

Never heard them KT...but here's the photos...

[lonewolfny42]

Did find this AA Post.....

[KT]

Hey, thanks, Lonewolf for posting the pics. The AA review sounds promising. I'll post my impressions, as well, once I have a listen.

KT

[ohenry]

Here's an old ebay ad:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BEAUTIFUL-SANSUI-SP-300-FLOOR-SPEAKERS-VERY-RARE-1967_W0QQitemZ160030345159QQihZ006QQcategoryZ14993QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The Sansui guys over at audiokarma seem to like them.

[KT]

I won't go into detail since I hooked them up with some unfamiliar cable (cheap 24ga zipcord from the drugstore - a stopgap measure since my main cables are elsewhere), and the placement is sub-optimal (spaced 2 feet apart up against a wall in a small bedroom), but the sound of the SP-300 is big, generous, easy, natural, present, and very easy to listen to.

The sound is what folks would probably call vintage, leaning towards the warm and plummy side, though much of what I'm hearing may be due to room placement issues. But it's a very big and generous sound, very natural and easy to relax to. This kind of sound is a big departure from modern dynamic hi-fi speakers which strike me as more homogenous sounding in general, and from Lowthers, which are dramatic to a fault - very musical but demanding of attention - not easy to drift off to sleep at bedtime with the Lowthers playing in the room.

Like the Klipsch Heresy which also has a horn-loaded mid and treble, the SP-300 has a quality of speediness, quickness, and easiness which I attribute to the use of compression drivers and horns. Compared to the Heresies, the SP-300 sounds larger and warmer but less focused and, perhaps, a bit less controlled. Again, a lot of that may be due to suboptimal wiring and room placement and the cable.

Many tweaks to be done and placement issues to be hammered out, but I'm really glad I picked these up. I feel they'll be a great everyday speaker for enjoyable, fuss-free, non-analytical listening. A real music-lover's speaker.

I'll keep you updated as I find out more.

Best,
KT

[lonewolfny42]

KT....Thanks for the update. Sounds like you found a "good buy".

[KT]

Lonewolf,

Yeah, almost a perfect ending to the story... but....

After I spread them out a little bit, I realized that one of the mid horns was dead. Upon examining the compression driver, I found that the voice coil was open and there was a little tear in the aluminum diaphram. These were probably party speakers for someone!

I haven't done a complete test on them, but it seems that all the other drivers work OK. So it's just that one mid horn compression driver that I need to replace. Unfortunately, the SP-300 doesn't seem to be a common speaker, so I expect a hard time finding a replacement.

Another thought was to use another midrange compression driver like the EV K-55V as found in the Klipsch Heresy and La Scala. I haven't measured the threads on the throat of the horn, but I'm thinking they might be a match.

If anyone has any thoughts, or if anyone has a single or pair, or knows of a source of the SP-300 midrange driver, I'd love to hear from you!

I really enjoy the sound of these speakers. I would love to get them up and running again.

Best,
KT

[lonewolfny42]

 .....Who was that guy in PA that has all those replacement speakers.... ....I can't remember.

Send a PM to Occam....Lab Circle mod.....maybe he can give you a lead on a replacement.

[KT]

Thanks, Lonewolf.

I'll shoot him a PM and keep my fingers crossed.

Best,
KT